The object of this proposal is to support a conference entitled "The Extracellular cellular Matrix: Chemistry, Biology, and Pathology," to be held on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, June 5-9, 1982. This conference will represent the first joint meeting of the regional Connective Tissue Societies of the United States. Attendance will be open to all; registration fees will be kept at a minimum to encourage attendance by young investigators, fellows, and students. Two plenary sessions will be held per day, providing state-of-the-art summaries of a wide variety of aspects of the connective tissue, including the collagens, elastin, glycosamino-glycans and cell adhesive proteins. Abstracts will be solicited for poster sessions to be held daily. The proceedings of the plenary sessions will be published in a format which will provide the scientific community with a comprehensive, up-to-date review of connective tissue chemistry, biology, physiology, and pathology.